Re: [Usability] screenshot & recording desktop video

[Steve Hoeg <sphoeg gmail com>]

Why should only screenshots be able to focus on a single window? Why
can't you make videos of single windows?

On 6/10/05, jeroen xs4all nl <jeroen xs4all nl> wrote:
> Hey Calum,
> 
> Thanks for the reply.
> 
> Here's what i've come up with so far:
> http://www.xs4all.nl/~jeroen/screenshots/Screenshot-Screenshot-2.png
> 
> I'm pretty happy with that. Obviously, the video parts would be
> insensitive until the user selects the "Record desktop video" radiobutton.
> The "take a screenshot of the desktop" would be the default option
> selected.
> 
> The icon for the video part is simply a mimetype icon atm, until somebody
> with more art skills (jimmac for example) designs a nice action icon for
> it.
> 
> I've ditched the duration part of the video recording. Does a user really
> know how long he'll want to record the video beforehand? I doubt it.
> 
> I'll probably start implementing this in the next couple of days.
> 
> Comments?
> 
> Jeroen
> 
> >
> > On 7 Jun 2005, at 20:50, jeroen xs4all nl wrote:
> >
> >>
> >> A problem with this approach is that there is very little feedback
> >> to the
> >> user when the recording has stopped. Perhaps it's better to record
> >> first
> >> and then ask how/where to save it?
> >
> > Perhaps not possible the way X works, but it would be nice if the
> > mouse pointer changed globally while the recording was happening.  Or
> > perhaps you could play an old cine-camera noise for the duration :)
> >
> >
> >> 2. Modify the screenshot dialog so the user can say "no i don't want a
> >> static screenshot, record a video instead". After that, the same
> >> workflow
> >> follows as described above. I'm not sure this is a good approach
> >> since if
> >> done incorrectly, you could clutter the screenshot dialog (it's really
> >> simple & easy to use atm). We might just add an option to indicate the
> >> user wants to record a video and then for how long (seconds) or
> >> unlimited
> >> (user-action to stop recording). And then after it has recorded the
> >> video
> >> only then ask how & where to save it. Problem with this approach is
> >> that
> >> you get 1 dialog for 2 different functions. For example: the current
> >> dialog has a Save (iirc) button for saving the screenshot. How
> >> would this
> >> work if you could also start recording a video in that dialog?
> >
> > I forget exactly how the current screenshot dialog looks (I only have
> > 2.6 in front of me right now), but given that it would be nice to
> > have it allow delayed and window-only snapshots too, I'd eventually
> > envisage a three-stage process:
> >
> > 1. Initial dialog to ask you what sort of screen capture you want
> > (screenshot[+delay], window[+delay], video[+duration]);
> >
> > 2. The image or video capture happens;
> >
> > 3. Standard file dialog pops up, showing thumbnail of image or video
> > you've just taken.
> >
> > You do lose the 'instant preview' feature of the current dialog,
> > which is a bit of a shame.  But you still get to see it before you
> > save, and IMHO the fact that the screenshot currently happens before
> > the dialog appears at all makes its appearance seem rather sluggish
> > anyway, at least on my machines-- so if anything it might make the
> > process seem a little snappier (ho-ho).
> >
> > Cheeri,
> > Calum.
> >
> > --
> > CALUM BENSON, Usability Engineer       Sun Microsystems Ireland
> > mailto:calum benson sun com            Java Desktop System Team
> > http://ie.sun.com                      +353 1 819 9771
> >
> > Any opinions are personal and not necessarily those of Sun Microsystems
> >
> >
> 
> 
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